


Love And Be Loved

by HK44



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst, Cunnilingus, Fluff, M/M, Trans Character, Trans Male Character, Trans!Percy, minor Transphobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-07
Updated: 2018-09-07
Packaged: 2019-07-07 22:36:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15917670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HK44/pseuds/HK44
Summary: This was not how he thought getting stupid and high with Nico for the first time was going to go. He’d been hoping for some light making out, maybe around the chest fondling and then passing out in the same bed only to wake up and find out that Nico was just as into him as he was into Nico and they were going to wind up just as happy as his mom was with Paul.No. Instead the gods of fate decided to throw a curveball at him and his transgender ass.





	Love And Be Loved

“I just-” Nico sank into Percy’s legs, warm and heavy. “I just don’t  _ get it _ , ya know?” Percy nodded eagerly, too buzzed to remember what they’d been talking about and too out of it to focus on anything but how  _ fucking _ red Nico’s lips had turned, bitten and rosy and plump.

Man, he wanted to suck on them.

“Me neither,” he said. He paused and exhaled shakily. “Get what?”

Nico squinted up at him then giggled low. “Percy,” he groaned. He pushed up and grabbed Percy’s cheeks. His hands were so fucking  _ warm _ , Percy shivered against the touch, trying to decide on which palm to press his face against. He chose both and failed miserably. Nico giggled and rubbed his thumb over Percy’s mouth. “The people. The- the  _ trans _ people.”

Percy took a moment to process that. Then a shaky feeling broke out in his stomach. “What- what about them?”

“Like- I just-” Nico exhaled sharply, crawling into Percy’s lap, his breath hot near Percy’s face. A tremor shivered down Percy’s spine, terror and warmth altogether. “I can’t  _ fuck  _ a girl.” He scowled, still holding Percy’s cheeks. “Does that make me bad?”

“Well, you wouldn’t- you wouldn’t be fucking a girl. You’d be fucking a boy,” Percy pointed out, swallowing thick around the growing terror in his stomach. 

This was not how he thought getting stupid and high with Nico for the first time was going to go. He’d been hoping for some light making out, maybe around the chest fondling and then passing out in the same bed only to wake up and find out that Nico was just as into him as he was into Nico and they were going to wind up just as happy as his mom was with Paul.

No. Instead the gods of fate decided to throw a curveball at him and his transgender ass.

Fuck him and fuck his stupid life.

Nico stared down at Percy then rolled his eyes, slinking off of Percy’s lap. He splayed out on the ground, his shirt hitching up his chest as he ran his fingers over the expanse of his stomach. “I like- I like to get fucked, ya know? How can I do that  _ with a girl _ ?”

“They have  _ stuff _ ,” Percy muttered. He swallowed thickly, cutting his eyes away from Nico. “Like strap-ons. Or.” He bit his lip, trying to remember the other stuff he’d used. “Strap-ons.”

Letting out a low whine, Nico stretched and eyed Percy. Then he sighed annoyed. “But I like it when my boyfriend gets off. That’s how  _ I _ get off.”

Percy fiddled with his fingers. “I mean, they can still get off, Nico. It’s not like we-  _ they- _ ” He swallowed, snatching a glance at Nico who was too busy trying to reach the bag of chips they’d lodged under his desk after their brief dance party to notice his mistake. “ _ They _ ,” he started again, “can’t because they don’t have dicks. How would- how would Annabeth be so satisfied with Piper all the time?”

Nico scrunched up his face. “I’m not a lesbian.”

“Oh my God,” Percy said, slapping Nico’s foot. “I’m not a lesbian either!”

Swatting the bag of doritos with his fingertips, Nico pushed up onto his forearms. “I can’t sex a trans person. I don’t like vaginas.”

“You don’t have to touch it,” Percy said, exasperatedly pushing a hand through his hair. “I think most, ya know, most would probably not want you to touch it.” He’d felt like that.  _ A lot _ up until the point he started T. Then his voice dropped, his baby fat vanished and he felt too goddamn sexy to care. He shook his head. “Why are we talking about this?”

Nico squinted at him. “ _ You asked _ .” He squirmed until he was pressed up against Percy’s side, so hot, so close, so  _ so _ close Percy was gonna  _ drop _ . “You just  _ asked _ .” He smiled low. “Don’t you remember?”

Percy shivered. He didn’t and then he did, the memory from four minutes ago popping back into his mind. He’d asked. He always asked on the first date, not that  _ this _ was technically a date but he supposed his high and horny ass was too desperate to care. Always asked subtly or just mentioned in passing to see what someone thought, whether it was worth continuing on the date or not.

Sometimes if they reacted badly he strung them along, kissed them on the mouth then shimmied off into the deep recess of his apartment with a “Oh by the way I’m trans” and a slamming door.

He’d gotten distracted when Nico shifted and the fairy lights dressed around his bed glowed behind his head like a beautiful halo, highlighting him for the angel he was, and the question totally slipped his mind.

_ God, _ he was out of it.

“I, yeah, I remember now.” He leaned back and Nico followed like a promise. “I forgot.”

Nico giggled into Percy’s neck. “You’ve never been high before, have you?”

Percy snorted then shook his head. No, he hadn’t. For the same reason he’d never been drunk until he turned nineteen. Too nervous about coming out because his dropped inhibitions wouldn’t keep him from making the very not good trans jokes he kept coming up with, even when he was completely certain it was just a phase, he was butch, not a dude. Then Annabeth told him she was gay, not bi, and the truth fell out.

But by that time, he’d spent too much time picking up after and taking care of Grover and Piper (and Annabeth that one time) that the concept of getting high just seemed…  _ dull. _

That is until Nico, smiling warm and eyes glimmering black from under his lashes, asked him to smoke and hang out and then suddenly he no longer gave a shit.

He had to ask Annabeth if he was like this when they were going out because if so, that was indicating a pattern he needed to start altering before it screwed him over big time. He probably would’ve robbed an entire bank for her if she’d asked.

“Percy,” Nico’s voice murmured against his ear. He blinked, coming out of his fog of thoughts. “Percy, Percy, Percy.”

“Yes?”

“I want-” Nico’s cheeks tinged a dark red, one that burned to his ears and he felt so  _ warm _ . “I want to kiss you.” He held Percy’s cheek in one hand. “Can I? Please?”

Percy nodded rapidly without question, yet somehow not aware of his answer until Nico’s mouth slipped against his warm and heavy. Better than his  _ damn fucking _ dreams, Percy thought, wrapping an arm against Nico’s waist and pulling him closer. Nico groaned into Percy’s mouth, pulling back so he could better wriggle his way into Percy’s lap. He draped his arms over Percy’s back, licking into Percy’s mouth like he had all the time in the world to do so.

Gripping his waist tight, Percy tried to drag Nico closer. No matter what they just  _ weren’t _ close enough. He needed more, needed to  _ fucking  _ crawl inside him if he had to. Just touch him all over, mark him up and  _ keep him _ . He pressed up into Nico,  _ starving _ for his mouth. Nico whined low, pulling back and gasping in the most delicious of ways as Percy held him tight and close, kissing down his jawline and sucking against the hollow of his throat.

He ground against Percy’s stomach, fingers grabbing at Percy’s hair, tugging hard. Percy let Nico pull him back then surged up and caught Nico’s mouth. Annabeth always said he was too eager to kiss, too  _ needy _ , but how could he not be when it felt so  _ good _ and he’d never know when he could do it again?

Nico sank down into Percy’s lap, his erection grinding up against Percy’s crotch. He let out a desperate noise, trailing a hand down Percy’s chest. Percy dropped his hands to Nico’s thighs. He squeezed, wanting to bruise, mark him up.

_ Mine, mine, mine _ .

He didn’t realize Nico’s hand was steadily moving towards dangerous territory until he felt him palming at his crotch. Nico let out an annoyed noise, pulling back to squint down, frustrated.

Percy hadn’t packed that morning.

He’d forgotten it, trying to remember where he’d thrown his english book in his fit of annoyance at the words that didn’t make sense. It didn’t matter though. It didn’t matter because he’d worn his sweats, baggy around the crotch anyway.

It didn’t matter.

His breath hitched.

_ Shit, shit, shit _ .

Nico stared at his crotch, still palming for something that wasn’t there and then his eyes caught Percy’s and his mouth fell open, a quiet “ _ Oh _ ” falling out of his mouth.

_ Shit _ .

He pushed Nico back. “I should go.”

Like he didn’t quite get why, Nico jerked then scowled. “What?”

Percy breathed heavy. “I’m- I’m gonna go.”

Nico stared at him. “Percy. You’re  _ high _ . You can’t drive home right now. You’ll probably crash your car.”

Patting around his pockets, Percy looked everywhere but Nico’s face. “I’ll call Annabeth.”

“It’s- no- just-” Nico grabbed his arms and stared at him desperately. “I-” His voice cut out and he let go, leaning back at against his bed. “Just spend the night. I mean you were going to do that anyway, right?”

“Nico-”

Nico stood up and began fixing up his bed. “The bed’s big enough for us both. It’ll be fine. You don’t have to go.”

_ You don’t want me like I want you and it hurts me too much to stay _ , Percy thought but he didn’t say the words just sat back and exhaled slowly. Nico wasn’t screaming at him. Wasn’t shouting about being fake.

Wasn’t even looking at him anymore.

Percy stood up. “Okay.” He pulled his shirt over his head and didn’t question it when Nico turned back and stared at his chest, his scars. “I sleep in my underwear. That cool?”

Nico’s eyes shot back at him, black, too dark to read. “That’s great,” he said. His voice was too lofty, too calm. The thought of calling Annabeth, gathering his stuff to huddle in the cold to wait for her, slid through Percy’s mind.

Instead, he pulled off his pants and let them join his shirt in a heap next to his socks and shoes and bag. He laid down on the bed, head to the ceiling. Even to him his breathing felt too slow and too measured. He didn’t look at Nico, hovering next to him.

Finally, Nico turned off the main light and crawled over top of Percy. For a moment he was pressed up to the corner and the wall, like he didn’t know if he was allowed to touch, if he wanted to. Then he leaned over and dragged his finger over the mousepad of his laptop. His shirt slid against Percy’s stomach. It was soft.

Percy felt like he was burning.

Nico fiddled around with his computer then Chandler’s voice broke out over the speakers, loud in the quiet of the room yet hushed in the volume.

He’d never felt this quiet before. It thrummed in his veins.

Nico curled up against Percy’s side. His hand pressed against Percy’s chest, hot right above his stomach. Soon his head followed, dropped to Percy’s shoulder then down to his side as he tried to get comfortable, though tentatively. Percy couldn’t tell if he was worried about the scars or if it was something else.

Unused to the touch since he’d hadn’t had a partner in so long, Percy tensed and Nico jolted, raising his head a fraction of an inch away. “Is this…”

Humming in the affirmative, Percy kept himself still while Nico sank back down. The worry that if he moved again, Nico would jolt to his senses and push him away kept pulsing through his mind. Foggy and deep in the back of his mind a chastising thought emerged. It sounded an awful like his mom and Grover merged together, whispering low that Nico’s problems were his own and that he shouldn’t worry. Percy was fine.

Percy was okay.

He looked down at the top of Nico’s head, his tuft of hair, then closed his eyes.

* * *

 

Rubbing his lower jaw, he cut his eyes across the quad. Nico usually got out of class at the same time as him and they cut across one another, chatting for a minute or an hour depending on how much work either one of them had to finish off or if Percy had pushed in an extra shift between his morning and night class.

He wasn’t exactly proud of how he left, waking up with Friends still playing on repeat. He’d taken one look at Nico curled against him and the night before crashed down on him like a sledgehammer. Percy didn’t tend to panic, not really, but  _ God _ . What would Nico think, what would he say when he was sober and awake?

How would they talk about it?

Normally he didn’t have one night stands and if he did, he didn’t bolt the next morning. He made breakfast, took a shower, thanked them kindly for a nice evening because his mother raised him  _ right _ and then went on his way. No walk of shame, no embarrassment. He’d had a good time. They’d had a good time.

Everything was easy peasy.

Except now. 

No, no, now everything was burning down around him and he couldn’t  _ breathe. _

He’d clamboured out of the bed quietly, shooting quick looks at Nico as he gathered up his things and got dressed. The other never moved, didn’t even have the slightest awareness that he knew what was going on.

Because he wasn’t a  _ dick _ , Percy double checked his stuff then locked the door from the inside, double checked that it  _ worked _ then  _ booked _ it to his car. Quick shower at his apartment, quick breakfast, quick half-assed texts and voice messages to Annabeth and Grover babbling about what had happened then he screamed into his pillow, printed off his homework and went back to school.

Now his goal was to make it to his car before Nico could possibly catch sight of him. And even if he did, then Percy was just gonna feign hearing loss and  _ run _ . He was taller and athletic and once did two marathons back to back for no reason other than just to see if he could and because Jason bet him three dollars. 

He was confident he could outrun Nico and Nico’s skinny short legs if need be.

“Percy!”

_ Mother- _

Without thinking, Percy spun around and watched Nico jog towards him, frozen still.

So much for bolting.

As he reached Percy, Nico pushed his shoulder bag on his hip and pushed his hair out of his eyes. Charcoal smudged his cheek but he didn’t notice. “Hey,” he breathed. He smiled loosely, uncomfortable. “You, uh, you- you left before I could treat you to breakfast.”

“Yeah.” Percy nodded. “Yeah. I, um.” He ducked his head, eying his feet and wondering he didn’t  _ bolt _ . “I left my books at my apartment. So I, I needed to go get them. For class.”

His smile thin, Nico nodded. “Right, right. That’s what I thought.” He cleared his throat and dropped his eyes. “Um, I just wanted to apologize for last night too. I shouldn’t- I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry.”

“No, no, don’t apologize.” Percy rubbed his arm. “It’s fine.”

Nico shook his head, fiddling with the strap of his bag. His eyes cut up to Percy, earnest. “No, really, Percy. That was a dick thing to do. I shouldn’t have- I just, ya know, I guess I never considered you like that so it didn’t really pass in my mind.”

Percy grabbed Nico’s shoulder, refrained from shaking him wildly. “Nico. Stop. Honestly. It’s fine. I liked the kiss. You don’t have to apologize, okay.”

Nico squinted at him. “I’m not- I’m not-” Sounding pitched and psychotic, he laughed and shook his head, pulling Percy’s hand down from his shoulder and playing with his fingers. “I- I  _ liked _ kissing you too. I was apologizing for- for saying what I said when you- when you-” He cleared his throat. “When you asked me if how I felt about people who were trans. Or nonbinary.”

Percy went still. Right.

Well.

At least Nico liked kissing him.

He tugged his hand from Nico’s fingers. “Look, you’re gonna have your own opinion and I’m not really the kind of guy to bother changing people’s minds. All I can do is explain and pray. And that’s what I do. And it works or not but you don’t-” He laughed and rubbed the back of his head, looking over the top of Nico’s head. “It doesn’t matter is what I’m saying. Don’t- don’t stress about it. So long as we’re friends and you help me with my English homework for zero dollars, it’s cool.”

Nico laughed and bit his lip, watching Percy carefully. “Can I apologize anyway? Because when I woke up this morning, I felt like a jerk. And I-” He exhaled harshly. “I  _ realized _ that when I did meet someone who was trans I always knew beforehand, and it molded how I looked at them and finding out  _ afterwards _ with you made me realize I have a lot of shit to work on about that but I-” He licked his lips. “I still want you.”

Percy’s heart dropped into his stomach. “What?”

The cutest red flush burned over Nico’s ears. “I’ve had a crush on you. Since we met. And I was  _ hoping _ that last night would lead to  _ something _ , but I- I really fucked that up and I’m sorry.”

“I- You- you like me?”

The flush spread to his cheeks. “I- Mmm,  _ yes _ .”

“Huh,” Percy said faintly. “That’s-  that’s really- Wow.”

Nico laughed. “Yeah, and I might be wrong on this but it seemed like… you might… Like me back?” he asked tentatively.

Percy nodded. “Yes. I  _ definitely _ like you back.  _ But- _ ” He shrugged. “I don’t date people who can’t deal with the fact I’m trans, Nico. It’s kind of package deal.”

“And I get that,” Nico said, grabbing Percy’s arm, like he was afraid Percy was going to run, like he wanted to keep him there. “I do. I really,  _ really _ do. And I can deal with it, I  _ swear _ .” He licked his lips. “I just- I guess I’ve spend too much time focusing on the physical rather than the person that it kind of forced how I perceived them before I knew them and because that didn’t happen with you, I realized… I was wrong.” He swallowed so thick Percy saw his Adam’s apple bob and his eyes glinted away as the flush crept darker and darker over his face. “Because I- I really,  _ really _ want you to screw me.”

“Okay,” Percy said. He swallowed. “I- Mmm, that sounds- yeah, I am  _ so _ on board with that.”

Nico smiled low. “So dinner?”

Percy shook his head. “No, I can’t.” Nico’s face fell and Percy shook his head again, pulling his arm out of Nico’s failing grasp to grip his wrist and keep him close. “I mean, I have a night class today so I can’t tonight.” He let go of Nico’s wrist, his fingertips trailing the other’s skin as it slid out of his grasp. “Also… I think we should pace this.”

“Right,” Nico said slowly. “That makes sense.”

“Yeah.”

Nico bit his lip. “So… lunch?”

Percy snorted. “Uh, yeah, that’s cool.” He shrugged. “I’m free until six.”

“And I’m open until three fifteen.” Nico held out his hand. “Grab something at McDonalds and then I continue the rest of my apology speech?”

Taking a breath, Percy took Nico’s outstretched hand and smiled. “Sure.”

* * *

 

“So,” Nico started after they sat down at a table just a c ouple hundred yards from Nico’s next class, “how did you, ya know…  _ know _ ?”

He almost seemed embarrassed to be asking but Percy just nudged his foot against Nico’s and grinned loosely. “I think I always had a feeling but when I was fifteen or so, the feeling kind of stuck after I saw some guy on TV talking about it. But I- ya know, I didn’t want to admit it to myself so I rationalized that it was probably because I was butch anyway and didn’t do girl stuff to begin with. And then I was nineteen. Annabeth came over and told me she was gay, only into girls and it was such a relief because she always felt like something was wrong when she said she was bi. And she kept telling me this wasn’t anything against me being bi or pan or whatever, she just wanted me, as her girlfriend, to know. And I realized that I couldn’t do that to her just to save my own skin so I told her I was a boy.”

Nico picked at his fries. Percy waited for his question, chewing absentmindedly at his burger. Finally Nico asked, “How did she take it?”

Percy swallowed, cleared his throat. “Not good. At first she thought I was making fun of her. Like she was coming out so I was coming out too but then when I made it clear, she got mad at me. Said if I wanted to dump her there were other ways to do it. Kept going on and on about how I was wrong.” He shrugged. “It was in the moment kind of shit and a week later she showed up outside my apartment with flowers and chocolates to apologize. I mean, this is  _ Annabeth _ . She likes to know things and she’s known me my whole life. I think having no clue about it freaked her out because it was the first time she didn’t have even an inkling about it.

“But we’re cool now and she’s probably the most supportive person besides Grover and my mom,” Percy said. 

Sticking a fry in his mouth, almost thoughtfully, Nico said, “How did you tell them?”

“Grover, I texted right after Annabeth slapped me and ran out of my apartment. He helped me come to terms with it, helped me edge around the reasons for the breakup with Annabeth when my mom asked me about it. He was-” Percy stopped, thinking about how he opened the door to his apartment to find Grover there, out of breath and wild-eyed, that day.

Eyes hurting from crying because that  _ was not _ how his coming out was supposed to go, his last one went great,  _ he’d fucked up, he’d fucked up _ , Percy had been  _ beyond _ terrified Grover was there to scream at him too but instead he’d gathered Percy up and held him close in the hallway and then later the kitchen where he’d helped Percy scarf down an entire carton of cookies and cream. He’d let Percy blubber on and on about everything that hurt him, everything that scared him, everything he wanted but wouldn’t admit.

And then he just took Percy’s hand and told him how much he loved him and how sorry he was for the jokes and the puns and the stupid little things he’d said when he didn’t know. And then they went to Percy’s room, snuggled against each other on Percy’s crap bed and watched stupid videos until the hurt faded away.

“He was the best actually,” Percy finished, looking down at his food. “After Annabeth came back and apologized, they both helped me put together this really  _ stupid _ Powerpoint presentation on trans people and trans guys and at the end I told my mom and I told Paul the whole reason for the presentation was because I was a boy and my mom just laughed and said she was right and fistpumped the air.”

Nico choked on his fries. “ _ What _ ?”

“When I was born, she thought I was a boy.” Percy pressed his cheek to one hand and watched Nico. “In fact, she makes it a damn joke every time she can because she’s both the worst  _ and  _ the best. She spent her entire pregnancy saying I was a boy because she had a “feeling” and then when they cleaned me off and gave me to her, she was so excited that I was a boy until my dad corrected her. And then I came out.”

“And then you came out,” Nico giggled. “That’s hilarious actually.”

“Yeah.” Percy took a gulp from his soda. “My dad was good too. I told him and he said “Great, you need anything, I pay for it, no objections. Now tell me your name so I can write it down and never forget it.” And I said I hadn’t figured it out and he just started throwing them out. And then he called my mom and they started brainstorming for me. Something about it was their responsibility to give me a name that fit me so they were going to do their jobs and if I interrupted them again, I was grounded.”

“And they decided on Perseus?” Nico bit the end off a handful of fries. “Out of all the other names in the world?”

Percy snorted. “Yeah. Well, I picked it at the end but they gave me a lot of options to work with. But my dead name was actually from a myth and my dad’s nickname at work is  _ literally _ Poseidon so I just figured it was a sign.”

“Perseus was the son of Zeus,” Nico teased.

“Nerd,” Percy muttered, kicking Nico’s foot as he picked up the rest of his burger. “What about you? How’d you know? How’d you come out?”

With all his teeth, Nico grinned wide then cleared his throat and leaned back. “ _ Always  _ knew.  _ Always _ comfortable. Probably something to do with having two moms and a dad in a consensual and mutually beneficial relationship.”

Percy grinned around burger. “Of course, of course.”

Nico smiled. “And as for coming out, I didn’t? I mean, I just brought home a guy and everything was chill. And afterwards, my dad asked me if he needed to cover girls in the upcoming sex talk and I said no and then he said he was going to anyway just to be thorough and because he’d already made flash cards.” He shrugged, still smiling loose and content. “Simple.”

“Wow.” Percy leaned back, gripping the edge of the bench and hoping he didn’t touch a stray piece of gum. “My mom didn’t have flash cards.”

Nico kicked Percy’s ankle. “Yeah, well, my dad’s always been like that. At the end, he stared at me and said-” Nico dropped his voice a couple octaves. “-“And no matter what you do, never marry a man who will happily set you up with other men while you’re married because then you’re me and next thing you know there’s two people ganging up on you all the time every time and you cannot escape the mass pile of love and sexual affection no matter what.” And then he left me with that traumatizing thought like it was nothing.”

Percy choked on his laugh, struggling to keep it down and failing dramatically. Nico rolled his eyes but swatted him.

“That’s actually really sweet.” Percy took another bite of his burger and said around it, “I always wondered how that came to be.”

“Pretty simple. My dad married Persephone young. They had two kids, Zag and Mellie, were content and happy for twelve years. Then they went to see a play and lo and behold, my mother was the main dancer. Stayed behind to thank her for her performance. Persephone hit on her the entire time. My mom gave my dad her number as a power move. Persephone told him to call her, he did. Three years later, Bianca is born. Two years later, I’m born. Seven years later, Hazel is six and a half and in my mom’s dance class and bingo bango, she’s adopted out of foster care and now my sister.” Nico brandished his arms out. “It’s a weird life but it’s mine.”

“That’s what I say,” Percy said. He jerked as his phone buzzed in his pocket. Tugging it out, he scanned the messages at the top and scowled. When his brain finally deciphered Leo’s erratic texts and symbols, he swore and stood up sharply. “I have to go get Leo.”

“What happened  _ now _ ?” Nico grumbled.

“Locked out of his place so have to drive him to Piper’s to get the spare key.” He gathered up his trash and shoved it back inside the plastic bag it came in while Nico folded up his box of fries and stuck them in his bag. They both stood there, watching each other, before Percy sighed deeply. “This was nice.”

Nico nodded. “Yeah.” He bit his lip, fiddling with his bag. Slowly, he eyed Percy from under his lashes. “Call me later?”

Percy exhaled sharply and couldn’t help the grin that split across his face. “Definitely.”

* * *

 

He pressed his face to his pillow as his fingers pressed send then slid over the mousepad to sign out of the class and exit from the screen. There were things he enjoyed about biology and then things that made him want to blow his head off with boredom.

Lucky for him, he was following in his dad’s footsteps so if he needed help, just had to go to the big guy. Except for English. English was his mom and Nico. And math was Annabeth.

But right now, pizza was for Percy.

He sat up, reaching for his phone. The buzzer broke out across the apartment. He jerked up from the couch and walked over to the intercom. “Yes?”

“I have a pizza for Jackson? Apartment 3A?”

Percy paused.

Did he…

_ Did he already order pizza _ ?

How did he do that?

The silence waned on and the guy on the other end cleared his throat. “One large pineapple with pepperoni and a, uh, diet cola.”

Percy shook his head. “Uh, yeah, that’s my order. Just- Buzzing you up now.”

He hit his button and rubbed his face as he stepped away from the door, rooting around for his wallet. How the fuck…

He was in class! He was, albeit so very  _ very _ bored and uninterested, mostly focused! How did he order an entire pizza and not remember? Then again that was his standard order. And he had been on his phone briefly, texting something or other to Paul about his mom’s birthday. Maybe he did it without thinking.

That sounded about right and highly possible.

He did love his pizza.

A knock interrupted his questioning. He grabbed his wallet from the table by the door and pulled it open. “So how much do I…”

Nico rocked back on his heels. “Hey.” He pointed to the pizza he was holding to his stomach. “Pizza?”

“And that’s why I don’t remember ordering food.”

“Yeah.” Nico nodded towards the apartment. “Can I come in?”

“Oh! Yeah!” Percy held the door open wider and gestured dramatically. “Come in, come in.”

Nico laughed and shuffled in settling the pizza down on the table. “Uh, yeah, so I remembered you complaining this morning that you might not have a chance to make something before class and that you usually ordered food  _ after _ class so I just thought-” He gestured loosely to the pizza. “Just thought I’d come bring some over.”

“Uh huh.” Percy set his wallet down. “That was really sweet of you, thanks.”

Humming low, Nico raked his eyes over Percy’s chest, not even  _ trying _ to be discreet anymore. “So you don’t go to class with a shirt on. That’s interesting.”

“Well, it is an online class,” Percy said, opening the box and inhaling the delicious scent of beautiful, beautiful pizza. “And I’m usually very naked when I’m alone.”

A  _ gorgeous _ flush slid over Nico’s neck, creeping up to his cheeks. His voice came out, half-strangled, half- _ desperate _ , as he said, “ _ Oh?” _

Percy nodded, separating a slice from the others but not pulling it out of the box. There were other things clearly in motion.

Other things he  _ really _ wanted to see play out first.

“Yeah, but it’s been getting cold lately so I just throw on some sweats when I get home and wrap a blanket around me.”

Nico leaned against the table, biting his lip. “So many other ways to keep warm without putting on more clothes though,” he said.

Percy eyed him carefully then pushed the lid down. Nico tracked the motion with his eyes then cut back up to Percy, his foot rubbing against his ankle. Percy grabbed Nico’s hand and locked their fingers together, hooking his free arm around Nico’s waist and leaning down low. “ _ Like _ ?”

Nico let out a low whine and caught Percy’s mouth, wrapping his arm around Percy’s neck and trying to crawl up Percy’s front. Percy heaved him up with one arm, let him lean in close while Percy licked his way into Nico’s mouth. He tasted sweet, like ice cream, and Percy chased it until Nico was pulling back, pupils blown wide.

They were still holding hands.

As he tightened his hold on Nico, Percy mouthed down the hollow of his throat. Nico groaned, fisting Percy’s hair. His trapped hand clenched Percy’s like a vice, flexing desperately as Percy pinned him up against a wall and bit into his skin. Nico shouted and tugged on Percy’s hair. Pain shocked down Percy’s spine, shuddering and  _ good _ .

Nico was trembling in his grasp. His cock, hard, pressed up against Percy’s stomach and Percy leaned into it, grinding up. Nico whimpered, the sound breathy and  _ warm. _

“Something wrong?” Percy teased, tugging on Nico’s earlobe with his teeth.

Nico shook his head rapidly. “Want- I  _ wanna _ \- Percy,  _ fuck- _ ”

“You wanna Percy fuck?” he laughed into Nico’s neck.

Groaning, Nico dropped his head back against the wall. The words struggled in his mouth as Percy held him tight and kissed him wet, sucking and biting at every piece of skin he could find.

“What happened to pacing ourselves?” Nico breathed, hot, rolling his hips desperately.

Percy’s stomach ran hot. “Three weeks is enough time,” he said.

Three weeks of shy kisses and lingering touches staining Percy’s skin for  _ hours _ and Nico’s warm blushing and Percy feeling  _ way _ too giddy about the situation at all, given how it  _ started _ .

That was  _ definitely _ enough time.

He dropped Nico and he stumbled, falling into Percy’s chest with a grunt, before he slid up to the tips of his toes and caught Percy’s mouth for his own. Percy groaned, tugging angrily at Nico’s shirt. Nico laughed into Percy’s mouth, pulling back to yank his shirt over his head and chuck it to the ground. Percy didn’t give him a second, just dove back in. 

Nico let him, going pliant against Percy’s grip. He spread his hands, hot and calloused, against Percy’s stomach. Percy bit at the junction of Nico’s jaw and whispered, “So you want a Percy fuck?”

“I’m leaving you,” Nico snapped right before he crawled up Percy’s front and grabbed his face with both hands, kissing him fiercely. 

Growing rapidly wet and wetter, Percy chuckled.  “Liar.” He slung his arm around Nico’s waist, dug his fingertips into Nico’s side and, as he ran his hand up Nico’s back and tugged his head back, murmured, “Didn’t answer my question.”

Nico groaned, shuddering under Percy’s grip and hissed, “Yes,  _ yes _ , for God’s sake, Percy,  _ just- _ ”

Percy dropped him again, cutting him off as he yanked on Nico’s belt loops and dragged him closer. Nico whined, buried himself into Percy’s chest, chasing his mouth. Stumbling back, Percy swatted at his bedroom door, searching for the doorknob without pulling away from Nico, who was grabbing at Percy like he thought if he let Percy go, he’d die.

Catching him around the waist, Percy licked his way into Nico’s mouth, desperate, needy,  _ wet _ . Nico leaned into him, grabbing the doorknob and twisting it until the door fell open with Percy’s weight. As they stumbled into the room, they giggled against each other. While Nico kicked off his pants, Percy leaned over and turned on the main light.

Turning around, Percy wrapped his arms around Nico, chest pressed to Nico’s back. Nico dropped his head back, tilting it so Percy had better access to drag his tongue over the flat expanse of his skin. He tightened his hold on Nico, keeping him still. He dropped one hand down to Nico’s crotch, palming his cock, hard beneath his boxers. Nico trembled, grinding into Percy’s hand.

Needy noises dropped from his mouth, louder and louder. He was almost wailing by the time Percy stopped, desperately pushing him towards the bed. Nico peeled off his underwear, splaying back against Percy’s pillows and watching as Percy shred his sweats off in record time. His eyes flashed to Percy’s crotch, a warm heat burning at his cheeks as he glanced back up to Percy’s face.

“Do you-”

Percy nodded, tugging out his desk drawers. “Yeah.” He threw Nico a bottle of lube. “I have-”

He cut himself off, stuck as Nico, fingers wet, began opening himself up without hesitation. Nico eyed him low under his lashes. “You have?”

This time Percy blushed, looking away. “I- I have stuff,” he muttered, dropping to his knees and pulling out a drawer from under his bed. When he glanced up, Nico was leaning above him, eying the toys in the box.

“That’s a lot,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I like variety,” Percy hummed. He grabbed a new one, tore it out of the box and fiddled with the strap. 

Nico caught his arm and they made eye contact. Nico cut his eyes away, blushing fiercely again. He sat up. “I- I like to-” He breathed hard, flushing even darker. “I like-”

Percy raised the strap-on. “Something bigger?”

Nico pressed his hands to his face. “I like to suck dick!”

Percy dropped his arm and laughed, relaxed. “Well, that’s not weird, ya know. I have-”

“No!” Dropping his hands, he leaned back against the headboard. His blush darkened. “No, I mean… I read some stuff and I thought…” He looked away, rubbing his forearm, nervous. “I mean, if that’s okay?”

“Yeah, no, that’s fine,” Percy said. He hopped onto the bed. “You are talking about eating me out, right?”

Nico squeezed his eyes shut, a short uncomfortable laugh bubbling from his mouth, but he nodded rapidly. “Yeah, I am.” He stretched, digging his palms into the blankets. “So can I?” he asked, shyly gesturing to Percy’s lower half.

Percy laid back, locking one hand under his head. Nico hovered over him, leaning down to peck his cheek. “You don’t have to, you know,” Percy said, stroking Nico’s hair back.

Stubbornness slid over Nico’s face. “I want to,” he grumbled.

He shimmied his way down, pausing to tenderly kiss at Percy’s chest scars and flick one tongue out over Percy’s nipple. He mouthed his way down Percy’s stomach. Then, settling comfortably between Percy’s legs, he pushed back Percy’s hair and gave a tentative lick.

Percy let out a happy sigh, reaching down to tug appreciatively at Nico’s hair.

Nico hummed and shifted to give himself better access. He leaned in closer, dragged his tongue right up over Percy’s entrance then swirled a bit off the top against his clit. He scowled, like he was annoyed he wasn’t getting the same reaction he was used to, and glanced up at Percy. “Am I…”

“Yeah,” Percy breathed. “It feels nice.”

“What do you-” Nico huffed. “What do you like?”

Percy bit his lip and tilted his head back. “I dunno. Enthusiasm?” Nico scowled at him and Percy snorted. “It’s really not that hard to get me off. I’ve been told I have a very short fuse.”

Nico laid his head on Percy’s thigh. “Then what- what shouldn’t I-” He cut himself off, exhaling hard, annoyed at the difficulties.

Trying to soothe him, Percy stroked his hand through Nico’s hair. “Not really a fan of anything going in. That’s pretty much it.” He dropped his hand from Nico’s hair to his crotch and thumbed at his clit. A shock of heat slid through his stomach. “ _ Love _ this.”

Nico snorted but watched Percy slip and slide his fingers over himself. After a few seconds, he rolled back to his stomach and tentatively traced his fingers over the spot Percy’s had just been. Percy was slick enough to wet Nico’s fingertips but still he sat up and ran his over fingers in his mouth before returning to Percy.

He rubbed loosely at Percy’s clit, soft and wide. Percy’s breath hitched as his stomach fluttered with warmth.

“Good?” Nico tested.

Percy nodded rapidly, pushing up into Nico’s fingers. Taking the invitation, Nico slid his fingers down between Percy’s folds and pushed up against his entrance, not sliding in, no interest in doing so but just putting pressure on the area.

It was  _ nice. _

No one ever really went near that particular area once Percy had made it clear penetration down there was off-limits but he didn’t mind  _ touching _ around it. Enjoyed it even but never bothered to press, not wanting someone to get the wrong idea.

Eyes lidded and fingers firmly pressed together, Nico leaned down and caught Percy’s mouth in a slow wet kiss. The mood had shifted from something desperate and intense to something slow and warm and Percy sure as hell was not complaining. 

Percy dropped his head back, letting out a short  _ wail _ as Nico’s fingers, slender for all that they were calloused, pinched around his clit. Nico’s eyes went wide. An apology dropped on his tongue, Percy could practically  _ hear _ it, but cut short as Percy arched back up into the touch.

Then Nico grinned and kissed down the edge of Percy’s jawline, humming happily all the while as he rubbed his fingertips in tight circular motions over Percy’s clit. Heat gathered in the pit of Percy’s belly while he breathed ragged.

_ Shortest fucking fuse _ , he thought.

In the past, it had made him embarrassed, especially when sex was something new and awkward, but now he took more pleasure in the fact that he got off so quickly. Made getting off  _ again _ so much faster.

Sinking down, Nico ran his tongue over Percy’s nipple, dragging his teeth over and over it until it was swollen and dark. After years of being uncomfortable with being touched around the chest, of people being too wary to approach it rationally and the recovery process after his surgery, he’d forgotten how nice it was to have them  _ touched _ .

“Do- do the other one,” he exhaled.

Nico looked up at him then swapped to the left. He was barely on it when he vanished. Percy scowled. “Where-  _ FUCK _ .”

Nico had dropped down between Percy’s legs against and was sucking wholeheartedly on his clit. Percy grabbed the top of his head, pulling on his hair to get him in the right position. Nico pressed his tongue over Percy’s clit then slid it down between Percy’s folds, licking over it like he’d die without the taste. Percy whined, tilting his head back and struggling to stop from grinding up against Nico’s face.

As his hand went lax in Nico’s hair, Nico rose back up, his lips glistening, and pupils blown. “I think I really like this,” he gasped, voice breathy and ragged.

Percy growled, “Then get back down there” as he pushed Nico’s head back down. He didn’t miss the way Nico’s eyes fluttered, the way he went pliant under Percy’s grip, and filed that away for later.

Pushing himself up for a better angle, Nico dragged his tongue, wet and hot, over Percy’s clit before just latching onto it, sucking hard and his tongue pressed firmly against it. Percy jerked, yanking on Nico’s hair as he arched up and Nico groaned but didn’t let up. Vibrations curled over and Percy shuddered, breathing hard as he came.

“Nico, Nico,” he panted, trying to push Nico away. “Stop, stop, stop.” 

Nico pulled away, breathing hard. “Did you?”

Percy nodded, laughing low. “Yeah, I did.” He pushed Nico back against his pillows. “Your turn.”

Nico shivered but sank back against the pillows. Percy poured some lube over his fingers, sliding two into Nico’s ass.

Nico groaned, “I already-”

Percy cut him off with a quick kiss before biting right at the edge of his jaw, right under his earlobe. Nico hissed, squirming but relaxed under Percy’s fingers. His cock was leaking wetly and Percy grinned.

“That turned on from eating me out, huh?” he teased, dragging his tongue flat over Nico’s bobbing Adam’s apple.

“I told you,” Nick breathed. He arched slight, a long moan dragging from his mouth as Percy curled his fingers inside him. “I like sucking dick.”

A laugh choked from Percy’s throat and he spread his free hand over Nico’s stomach, stilling him from squirming. “I could tell.” He glanced up and grinned devilishly. “Like having yours sucked?”

_ “Yes _ ,” Nick breathed but he swatted at Percy’s thigh. “But right now, I’d rather you  _ fuck _ me, Percy.”

“Such language,” Percy murmured. “Maybe I should spank that out of you.”

Nico let out a guttural groan, his eyes fluttering at the thought. “Mm,  _ yeah.”  _ He spread his legs wider and eyed Percy darkly. “But  _ later _ .”

Percy chuckled, sliding in a third finger and watching Nico whimper under his touch. “Seems like you got a short fuse too.”

Head tilting back as his mouth slid out in a low whine, Nico huffed out, “ _ Just fuck me already _ .”

Percy was completely ready to do so and Nico was ridiculously wet and pliant. Percy wondered for a hot second if he’d stretched himself out before even coming over. It just seemed too easy to fuck him open. Like he could’ve just pinned Nico up against the wall and screwed him ‘til he wailed from the moment he walked in.

Smirking at the thought, Percy stroked a hand over Nico’s cock. “What exactly were you doing before you came over?”

Nico’s eyes cut at him, black and  _ obvious _ .

“What do you think?” he growled. He bit his lip, hands clenching at his side as Percy spread his fingers inside him, curling them lightly. Percy snorted and kissed his cheek as he grabbed his strap-on. Nico eyed it as Percy put it on. He glanced up at Percy and shyly murmured, a wet finger sliding over the expanse of his stomach, “Always figured you’d be bigger.”

Percy laughed. “I get that a lot. But don’t worry.” He patted Nico’s thigh. “I’ve got bigger ones,  _ needy _ . This one’s just new.” He slid a condom over the strap-on. “Been meaning to test it out.”

Humming, Nico spread his legs and fluttered his eyes. Percy snorted and kissed his neck as he slid in slow and steady. He couldn’t feel the way Nico clenched around him but hell if he couldn’t tell by how his thighs tensed under Percy’s hands, how his mouth slid open, a fallen “Oh” escaping his mouth in a short breath.

“Good?” Percy murmured into his ear.

Eager, Nico nodded and bucked back against Percy. “More.”

Gently kissing his cheek, his neck, Percy slid in until his pelvis hit Nico’s ass. Nico rocked back, a pitiful whine curling from his lips. Percy keened at the noise, the way it wrapped around his head, making him feel unbelievably powerful in the moment and yet reveling in how twisted his stomach turned, wanting to please.

Wanting to make Nico feel insanely good.

He pulled out shallowly then pressed back in with a smooth glide, keeping up a slow and steady pace while Nico held onto him, shaky breaths tumbling out of his mouth.

_ Short fuse indeed _ , Percy thought kissing his cheek and humming low.

“Percy,” Nico whined, pushing back stubbornly.

Hiding his grin, Percy buried his face in the crook of Nico’s neck. “Too fast?”

Nico swatted the back of his head the dug his heels into Percy's side. “Go faster.”

Percy kissed his neck, his cheeks, every inch of skin he could touch, he could reach and kept Nico close as he poured on the speed just a bit, enough to make Nico tremble while drawing it all out. He’d thought about this moment for months. Since the moment Nico’s eyes fell on him, Hazel’s clear voice, “Oh this is my brother” and how his stomach fell, twisted and tumbled, at how  _ pretty _ Nico was.

Let him love and be loved.

Percy was a desperate man.

He kissed down Nico’s jaw, drawing out stilled groans and curses as he fucked into Nico nice and shallow. Nico’s fingers dragged up through his hair, tugging while he whined. Laughing into Nico’s neck, Percy pulled back, just a bit to drop an arm down to his crotch. He bit just under Nico’s ear and whispered, “Wanna know something?”

“What?” Nico breathed, pulling him closer, hands touching all over.

“I can do something most guys can’t,” Percy murmured. “Something  _ amazing _ .”

Nico shivered. “Oh yeah?” He threaded his hand through Percy’s hair, splaying the other against his spine and pushed back stubbornly against Percy. “What’s that?”

“I can do this,” Percy said, punctuating it with a quick hit to the button at the base of the strapon, barely noticeable unless you knew it was there.

Nico’s whole body spasmed immediately, his eyes widening and nails digging sharp into Percy’s scalp and skin. His jaw dropped. After a few seconds, a delayed moan coursed through, strangled and breathy. 

“Feels good?” Percy asked, pushing into Nico harder.

Nico whimpered, the vibrator pulsing inside of him, no doubt driving him insane with every thrust.

A couple months into starting T, Percy had hooked up with a rather nice girl who spread him open on her fingers and, when she was all nice and done prepping him up, broke him down into a wailing mess with the wonderful use of her toy. Immediately after, he asked her for the name of it and scribbled it down. He found the note months ago, ordered the thing but hadn’t gotten to use it yet.

Clearly it still worked wonders.

It wasn’t any different from any other vibrator but the fact that it wasn’t him controlling it had Percy’s nerves on fire. Sort of like how you couldn’t tickle yourself. Having someone else use it on him was a lot more satisfying and having her thrust it into him, like her own cock, was a lot better than if she’d just used her hands.

More power under it all.

_ So _ worth it.

A groaning sob slipped out of Nico’s mouth, his head tilted back as he let Percy slip up, spread his hands on Nico’s thighs and keep him open. 

“You look so good,” Percy breathed because he couldn’t help it.

Nico whined under the praise, his eyes squeezing shut, embarrassed. Percy pressed back down, kissing up Nico's cheek, neck, against his jawline, cheeks, anywhere he could reach. Nico's hips raised with Percy's grip. The angle was better, was  _ best _ . Nico's voice echoed louder and louder as Percy slid into him 

“Wanted you so bad,” Percy murmured into Nico's skin. He couldn't stop the words from spilling out, the sounds that fell from Nico's lips like a  _ dream _ . “Dreamt about this for  _ weeks _ .”

A quiet sob slid from Nico's mouth, the sound muffled into Percy's neck. He whispered Percy's name into the air like a prayer and Percy chased the sound desperately. He wanted more, wanted to hear every single drop that he could pull from Nico's throat, every guttural groan and every pitched breath, and just hit into him harder.

Nico’s fingers clenched into his hair, tugging as he  _ gasped _ , wet and shallow. As he came against Percy’s stomach, Percy shivered and stilled. His stomach was twisting all sorts of ways from the way Nico’s eyes were squeezed, his teeth clenched to his lip, turned bloody, everything about him raised and yet  _ so fucking beautiful. _

Not to mention the sheer horniness that was pooling inside him all over again. Once Nico had relaxed, Percy was pulling out, quickly but gently, and struggling to undo the strap while shoving one hand down between him and the strap-on. His toes curled as he bore into himself, trying to the  _ gods _  to get off.

Shaking Nico slipped up, just a slight bit, and undid the strap-on, pulling it away and throwing it out somewhere onto the floor. He swung Percy down and kissed him hard, fingers pressing up against him. Percy hissed, all the friction, all the touch, swooning straight to his head. Nico breathed hard into his neck and  _ finally _ , he blanked. The heat surged and died quickly, pooling low everywhere else until he was quietly careening on a high.

Soft, he shivered down from it, pulling away wet fingers and tugging Nico closer. He tilted his head back and grinned. After a few soft seconds, he murmured, “So how did I rate?”

Nico snorted but grinned. He continued to breathe a little shallowly against Percy’s neck then slid off to the side and snuggled into him. “ _ Definitely _ ,” Nico started, “beat  _ a lot _ of guys out.”

Percy grinned, cheeky, and rubbed Nico’s thigh. “Lemme get a cloth.” He kissed Nico’s cheek and rolled up to a sit. “Clean you up.”

As he walked off, he turned on the fan and slipped out to his bathroom. Gathering up a damp cloth, his laptop and the pizza, he slipped back into the room. Nico was hanging upside off the bed, trying to reach for his pants without actually having to get up. Percy rolled his eyes and set the pizza and his laptop down on the nightstand before settling down beside Nico, who smiled widely up at him. 

“You know I have clean clothes you could wear instead?” he offered, wiping off the sweat and come from Nico’s belly.

Nico just grinned wider and squeezed Percy’s knee. “Sounds  _ fantastic _ .”

“Always knew you’d be a clothes thief,” Percy said as he wiped the come off his skin and threw the dirty washcloth in with the rest of his laundry pile.

Laughing, Nico swept up and kissed his cheek before tugging Percy down on top of him. Percy boxed him in, kissing down the length of Nico’s throat. He groaned, guttural, and Percy’s stomach twisted again but Nico pushed back, his eyes fluttering and breathed out, “No, no, no.” A sheepish smile slipped over his mouth. “Not right now.”

Nodding, Percy kissed the top of his head then slipped up to grab a couple pairs of clean boxers from his drawer. Absolutely refusing to get up, Nico shimmied awkwardly into them instead. Percy flickered off the main light and settled down next to him, humming as he set on the last episode of Friends he remembered falling asleep to. 

Nico slipped around until they were facing each other. His face was softly lit in the low light and he looked more angelic like normal. Percy smiled, low, and swept back his hair. “Really though? It was good?”

Nico nodded rapidly. “Yeah.” He rolled onto Percy’s lap and sat up, pushing back his hair. “It was great.” He bunched himself in and grinned low, as though embarrassed. “I  _ really _ regret being a dick if that’s what I’d had to look forward to.”

Percy snorted and ran a gentle hand up Nico’s thigh. “Mmm, you weren’t that bad. I’ve had worse.”

Shrugging, Nico spread his hands over Percy’s chest. Then drew back, biting his lip. “Did it- did it hurt?”

Percy glanced down to his scars. All things considered they weren’t horrible and they’d healed neatly. He’d known long before the operation, long before the surgeon hunt, he was going to end up with them. As heavily breasted as he’d been, thinking anything against that would’ve been ridiculous.

“Yeah, recovery kind of kicked my ass,” he admitted, drawing up until Nico was settled against his thighs. “And I kind of- I wasn’t happy at first. But-” He ran a hand over his chest. “-it was what I wanted. So I accepted it. And all things considered, what I had before sucked ass so this was way better no matter.”

Nico snorted, his head lowered.

Percy bit his lip. “I’m not getting anything else though.” Nico’s head snapped up, eyes confused. “I mean,  _ maybe _ someday, but like, I’m fine with the genitals I have right now so-”

Shoving back, Nico’s eyes were wide, embarrassed and he let out a chattering nervous laugh before, “No, no, no! I wasn’t going to ask that, Percy. I don’t- I don’t  _ care _ and…” He faded off before scowling as Percy’s lips shook, betraying the grin he was trying to hold back. “Percy, you fucking asshole.”

Falling back, Percy laughed. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it.”

Nico scowled deeper but fell into his side and accepted Percy’s snuggling again. “Your dick is interchangeable,” he grumbled. “Why would I care if you wanted a flesh one?”

Percy choked on a laugh and swatted Nico’s ass who smirked up at him, teasing and amused. “Any size you want, babe. I got it all.”

“Perfect,” Nico murmured, snuggling into Percy’s side. His eyes fell lidded on the laptop and he reached out for the pizza box. “Perfect Percy.”

Percy handed him a slice and smiled. “First time I’ve heard that.”

Taking a bite, Nico frowned and raked his fingers through his hair. After a few seconds, he swallowed and kicked Percy’s thigh. “Well, here it is a second time.” He leaned down and nuzzled Percy’s cheek. “Perfect Percy.”

Grabbing a slice for himself, Percy sat up a bit, thinking. “Not so bad Nico,” he decided on.

Nico smiled around his pizza. “Passionate.”

Percy swept up and murmured, “Naughty.”

Shivering at the tone, Nico bit out, “Pretty.”

“Nice,” Percy shot back, gathering Nico back into his hold

Worming his way back into Percy's lap, Nico leaned back and considered some words. “Pleasant.”

“Nourishing.”

“Playful.”

“Nerdy.”

“Precious.” Nico tapped Percy's bottom lip. “Patient,  _ popular _ , priceless, pure, proficient…” He faded off as Percy watched him in quiet disbelief and wonderment. Nico shrugged and caught Percy's eyes. “Perfect.”

His cheeks warm, Percy ducked his head and squeezed Nico’s thigh. “Not so sure about  _ pure _ …”

Nico shrugged again and just smiled, soft and dazzling, before sinking down into Percy’s chest, his legs splayed out over Percy’s. There was something small in the way they held each other, content and soft. The lingering compliments laid out in the air and stilled the quiet with peaceful compassion. Percy glanced off to the side, watching Monica and Chandler sway in place as Lady in Red played through the speakers.

In a sense, he’d always wanted something powerful, overtaking. Like the kind of romance that had him reeling every second, had him longing every minute. But in the moment, eating slightly cold pizza and watching episodes of a series that hadn’t been on air in  _ years _ , he was content with something quieter and a little awkward but so much more peaceful.

So much calmer.

Nico was not perfect by any means. And Percy was not perfect by any means. 

But, as he loped an arm around Nico’s back and chewed quietly on his pizza, it kind of felt like they were. Meant to be. Destined.

To be happy and content and peaceful and calm and quietly perfectly fitting forever and ever and ever.

Sue him.

He was a romantic.

**Author's Note:**

> Finally got around to finishing this. :D Hope y'all enjoyed it! Fun fact I have never been high so I'm not sure if the opening is decent but who cares, I finally finished this.
> 
> [Tumblr](http://happyk44.tumblr.com/post/177817863402/love-and-be-loved-hk44-percy-jackson-and-the) || [Other Links](https://linktr.ee/hk44_art)


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